Page 21 - Orientation Programme FINAL

Have a discussion on the role we play as a human being at multiple levels: self, family, hostel, institution, city,
nation, world and in nature. What are our responsibilities?

C.1.2 Making Desire/Aspiration List
Ask students to prepare a list of desires/aspirations in their notebook for about 5-8 minutes. Ask some
students to read out some of their desires (if they are comfortable doing so). Write the desires so spoken in
the form of a list on the board (in the form of bullet points with one or two keywords each). Avoid
duplication.

After writing a desire on the board, you could ask why to get the underlying thought. For example, a student
might say money. On asking why, he might say to be richest man, on again asking he might say fame or buy
whatever I want. These are two different things and the desire listed as money be changed to money - fame or
money - get goods. Make sure that you are not judgemental. Do not deride or make fun of any desire nor
should you allow the other students to do so.

C.1.3 Classify Desires
After the board is reasonably complete, you may classify each desire into two categories based on what it
is fulfilling:

• Mental need

• Physical need

For example, clothes fulfils physical need to protect our body from heat or cold. What do “branded clothes”
fulfil? Is brand our attempt to fulfil our need for respect and recognition?

Would it ever fulfil the need by clothes? Even if it apparently fulfils it, would it have continuity or break
down very soon?

C.1.4 Conclusion
At the end, you can conclude the following:

• The list is not infinite, but finite. It is only some tens in number.

• Most desires relate to mental rather than physical need.

We would like our desires to be free of mutual conflicts (between desires), free of internal contradictions
or contradictions to our naturalness.

Assignment C.1

• Make a list of your desires/aspirations. (You may use the list you have already made in the class).
• For each desire, ask ‘why’. When you come up with an answer, ask ‘why’ again! Keep doing it to
get to underlying thought.

• Write the underlying need that you get (need for feeling or physical need for body).

C.2 Needs of Self and Body

Discuss the needs of Self and Body in tabular form with respect to continuity in time, nature of need

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